Erica Verrillo has written seven books and published five. She doesn't know why anyone with an ounce of self-preservation would ever want to publish. But, if you insist on selling your soul to the devil, learn how to do it right: marketing, literary agents, book promotion, editing, pitching your book, how to get reviews, and ... most important of all ... everything she did wrong.
She's a member of PEN, and in the interest of protecting the 1st Amendment, she did not vote for Trump.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

There are 23 calls for submissions in April. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees.

As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from speculative fiction to poetry to personal essays.

NOTE: I post upcoming calls for submissions at the end of every month. But as I am collecting them, I post them on my page, Calls for Submissions. You can get a jump on upcoming calls for submissions by checking that page periodically. (I only post paying markets.)
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Bikes in Space: Dragons. Genre: Feminist bicycle science fiction on theme of "Dragons." Payment: Not less than $30 per story. Deadline: April 1, 2018.West Branch. Genres: Poetry, fiction, CNF. Payment: $50 per poem, 5 cents per word for prose.Deadline: April 1, 2018.Upstaged: an anthology of women who love women in performing arts. Genre: Stories about lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, and queer women who strut their stuff before a live audience. Payment: $40. Deadline: April 1, 2018.

Splickety: Heirs and Spares. Genre: Flash fiction, between 300 and 1,000 words long. "Life as a teenage royal is flashy and glamorous… until trouble strikes in the palace. Weave us tales of royal drama among the monarchy’s younger members—contested thrones, unwilling heirs, coups, and intrigue. The stakes are kingdoms, and the loser stands to lose his (or her) head." Payment: 2 cents/word. Deadline: April 6, 2018.Shooter. Genre: Poetry, fiction and CNF on the theme of Dirty Money. "Send us stories, essays, reported narratives and poetry on anything to do with dough, whether rolling in it or scrounging for it. We want to read about playboys and girls, corrupt bankers, hard-up students, entrepreneurs, gamblers, thieves, grafters – anyone affected by money in any compelling way. Are riches really the root of all evil, or the key to the world’s delights?" Payment: £25 per story and £5 per poem. Deadline: April 8, 2018.

Cricket. Genres: YA poetry, fiction, essays on the theme of Family. CICADA is a YA lit/comics magazine committed to work that speaks to teens’ truths. Payment: Fiction: up to 10¢ per word, Nonfiction: up to 25¢ per word, Poems: up to $3.00 per line; $25.00 minimum. Deadline: April 13, 2018.

Helios Magazine. THEME: “20/20” Genres: Fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art. Payment: $0.03 USD per word for the first 1,500 words and $0.01 USD after for short stories, and $0.25 USD a line for poetry. Deadline: April 15, 2018.Confrontation Magazine. Genres: Fiction, poetry, non-fiction (worldwide). Payment: $175-$250 for fiction, $75-$100 per work for poetry. Deadline: April 15, 2018.

Spider Magazine. Genres: Stories, poems, articles for children on theme of Over the Rainbow. "We are looking for LGBTQAI+ inclusive fiction, poetry, and non-fiction manuscripts. We would like to see warm family stories, an entire story without gender pronouns, children with different gender expressions, and gentle realistic or metaphorical coming out stories. We are especially interested in matter-of-fact stories where being different isn’t the heart of the story, but part of the character’s identity." Payment: Stories and articles: up to 25¢ per word, Poems: up to $3.00 per line; $25.00 minimum, Activities and recipes: $75.00 flat rate. Deadline: April 15, 2018.Circlet Press Asexual Romance Anthology. Genre: Short fiction on topic of romance for characters uninterested in sex. Stories should generally be between 2500 and 8500 words (though we’re flexible for a great story). Originals only, no reprints. Payment: $25, with the additional rights to a print edition later which would also pay $25. Deadline: April 15th.

Gathering Storm Magazine. Genre: Fiction, poetry. Themes: When in Rome, do as Romans do, The Elephant in the Room, Seek and ye Shall Find, Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right. Payment: $25 for fiction, $10 for poetry. Deadline: April 20, 2018.

Field Magazine. Genre: Poetry and poetics. Payment: $15 per page ($5 - $50+ per poem, according to Duotrope.) Deadline: April 30, 2018.FIYAH. Genre: Speculative fiction and poetry about Africa Diaspora. Theme is Music. "Send us all of your stories featuring music as magic, music as catalyst, or whatever your devious little hearts come up with." Payment: $150 per story. $50 per poem. $300 per novelette. Deadline: April 30, 2018.

Snafu: Military Horror. Genre: Military horror. "Think doom, resident evil, terminator, dog soldiers, aliens (the second movie, not the first)… anything that can be called a high-action monster story. And soldiers! We want extreme action, and it has to be military or paramilitary action. Can be mercs or ex-soldiers, though, so long as they are hardcases." 2000-10,000 words. Payment: AUD4c/word and one contributor copy. Deadline: April 30, 2018.

Midnight Writers. Genre: Stories of every genre on theme "Animal-themed Apocalypse." The apocalypse can be big or small (the larger scale the better), but it must include an animal as a major part of the story. The animal can be the cause of the apocalypse, the salvation from the apocalypse, or the pet that helps the one hero get through it all. It can even be from the animal's point of view." Payment: $10. Deadline: April 30, 2018.

Hashtag Queer. Genre: Fiction and nonfiction up to 7,500 words, poetry up to 5 pages and scripts for the stage and screen up to 10 pages. Payment: $5 per printed page. Deadline: May 1, 2018.

Lethe Press: The Decadents. Genre: Gay male short stories. Stories should be set during the 18th or 19th century. Payment: Payment for reprints is 1.5 cents per word. Payment for original fiction is 5 cents a word. Deadline: May 2018 (no date).

The Fantasist. Genre: Steam Punk. Length: Stories must be at least 15,000 words and at most 50,000. Payment: $100. Deadline: May 1, 2018.

Monday, March 26, 2018

There are nearly three dozen free writing contests in April. As always, every form and genre is represented.

There are prizes for novels, poetry, short stories, essays, works of nonfiction, translations and more. Some of these contests have age and regional restrictions, so be sure to check submission guidelines before submitting.

Many contests are offered annually, so if you miss your ideal contest this year, you can always enter next year. For a month-by-month list of free contests see: Writing Contests. (You can also get a jump on next month's contests by checking that page periodically.)

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Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest. Now in its 17th year, this contest seeks today's best humor poems, published and unpublished. Please enter one poem only, 250 lines max. Prize: $2,250 in prizes, including a top prize of $1,000, and publication on Winning Writers. Deadline: April 1, 2018. See submission formHERE.

The Great American Think-Off. Genre: Essay on the theme: “Which plays a larger role in shaping one’s life: success or failure?” Entrants should take a strong stand agreeing or disagreeing with this topic, basing their arguments on personal experience and observations rather than philosophical abstraction. Essay should be no more than 750 words. Prize: One of four $500 cash prizes. Deadline: April 1, 2018.

Wick Poetry Center High School Poetry Competition. Restrictions: Open to Ohio high school seniors. Genre: Poetry. Prize: One-time $1,500 scholarship to Kent State University. Second and third prize winners receive $1,000 and $500 one-time scholarships. Deadline: April 1, 2018.

The Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellowship for Writers. Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians awards fellowships for writers to spend time in McCullers' childhood home in Columbus, Georgia. The fellowships are intended to afford the writers in residence uninterrupted time to dedicate to their work, free from the distractions of daily life and other professional responsibilities. Award: Stipend of $5000 to cover costs of transportation, food and other incidentals. Fellowship recipients will be required to introduce or advance their work through reading or workshop/forum presentations. The Fellow will work with the McCullers Center Director to plan a presentation near the end of the residency. Deadline: April 1, 2018.

Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction. Restrictions: The writer must be Canadian, and an entry must be the writer's first or second published book of any type or genre and must have a Canadian locale and/or significance. Genre: Print books and ebooks of creative non-fiction published in the previous calendar year. Prize: C$10,000.00. Deadline: April 1, 2018.Betsy Colquitt Award for Poetry/Frank O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. Genres: Short stories and poetry. Prize: $500 Frank O’Connor Award for fiction. $500 Betsy Colquitt Award for poetry. Deadline: April 1, 2018.

Small But Mighty.Restrictions: Children ages 7-11 and 12-15. Genre: Fiction and poetry. Prize: Writing supplies, certificate, and publication on website. Deadline: April 1, 2018.

Limnisa Short Story Competition. Genre: Short story under 3,000 words on theme of Plastic. Prize: One-week, all-inclusive writers' retreat or workshop in 2017 or 2018 in Limnisa, Greece and online publication, or five online personal tutoring sessions instead. Deadline: April 15, 2018.

William Saroyan Writing Contest. Restrictions: Open to students in 1st grade through college. Genre: Short story, 2 pages. Prize: $50 - $100. Deadline: April 15, 2018.

Monash Undergraduate Prize for Creative Writing. "The Prize is a significant literary award for new and emerging writers. The prize is open to both Australian and New Zealand university students, enrolled in either an undergraduate or honours degree. All types of creative writing will be accepted, including short stories, non-fiction narrative and narrative verse." Prize: $4000. Deadline: April 15, 2018.Scotiabank Giller Prize. Restrictions: Open to books published in Canada in English. Books must be published in Canada in English between March 1, 2018 and April 30, 2018 to be eligible for the 2018 Prize. Must be nominated by publisher. Genre: Fiction. Full-length novel or collection of short stories published in English, either originally, or in translation. Prize: $100,000 to the winner and $10,000 to each of the finalists. Deadline: April 15, 2018.

McLaughlin-Esstman-Stearns First Novel Prize is awarded to the author of the best first novel published in the previous calendar year. Restrictions: Only American authors publishing in English are eligible. Non-eligible books include short story collections, flash fiction, memoirs, biographies and books published solely in electronic format. Prize: $500. Deadline: April 15, 2018.Go Ape Children's Writing Competition. Restrictions: Open to UK children aged 4-7 and 8-12. Parents/guardians are encouraged to enter on behalf of their child. Genre: Adventure stories. Stories must be between 100 and 500 words. Prize: Various prizes: gift vouchers, family holidays. Deadline: April 15, 2018.

The Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize. Genre: Book-length translation of Asian poetry into English. Both translators and publishers are invited to submit titles. Book must have been published in previous year. Prize: $5,000.Deadline: April 16, 2018.

Hiett Prize in the Humanities. The Hiett Prize in the Humanities is an annual award aimed at identifying candidates who are in the early stages of careers devoted to the humanities and whose work shows extraordinary promise and has a significant public component related to contemporary culture. Restrictions: All applicants must reside in the United States. Prize: $50,000. Deadline: April 20, 2018.Tell a Tale Gothic Writing Competition. Restrictions: Open to UK residents only. Genre: 500-word tale of terror using the following quotation as inspiration. “It might be possible, of course, that far from being one, we may possess two selves.” Prize: £300 and many other goodies including signed Jekyll and Hyde posters. Deadline: April 21, 2018.

James White Award. Restrictions: Non-professional authors from anywhere in the world. Genre: Previously unpublished science fiction stories of 6000 words or less, but the stories must be written in English. Prize: £200 plus publication in Interzone. Deadline: April 27, 2018.Lune Spark Young Writers' Short Story Contest. Restrictions: Open to writers 10-13 years old, and 13-16 years old. (Two categories.) Genre: Short story. Prize: $500 for first place; $250, 2nd place; $100, 3rd place. Deadline: April 28, 2018.

A Voice for Animals Teen Essay Contest. Restrictions: Open to students between the ages of 14-18. Genre: Essays on an animal rights topic. In the 16-18 year olds category, essays must be 800-1,000 words long and be accompanied by a photograph; in the 14-15 year olds category, essays should be between 1,400-1,500 words. One climate change prize (both age categories compete) will be awarded for an essay on how climate change affects a particular animal species. Prize: $500. Deadline: April 30, 2018.

Toronto Book Awards. Genres: All genres accepted. Restrictions: Submission "must evoke the city itself, that is, contain some clear Toronto content (this may be reflected in the themes, settings, subjects, etc.). Authors do not necessarily have to reside in Toronto. Ebooks, textbooks and self-published works are not eligible. Prize: A total of $15,000 CD will be awarded. Each shortlisted author (usually 4-6) receives C$1,000 and the winning author is awarded the remainder.Deadline: April 30, 2018.

Bill Hallberg Award in Creative Writing. Restrictions: Open to undergraduate students at colleges and universities in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee. Genre: Creative nonfiction. Submissions should include one double-spaced essay, no longer than 10 pages and in 12 pt font.Prize: $150. Deadline: April 30, 2018. Submit essay to Christy Hallberg at hallbergc@ecu.eduFunFiction. Genre: Novellas, novel excerpts, short stories and collections, or any prose work with a minimum of 50,000 words. Themes: Romance, Suspense. Prize: $10,000. Deadline: April 30, 2018. Note: "Contestants own all of their entries' copyrights and retain the right to publish their entries outside of FicFun. But by accepting the awards, winners shall authorize their works’ digital copyright to FicFun for three years free of charge, have obligation to complete their works in the future and cannot delete the entries, starting from the payment received date. Meanwhile FicFun owns the right to have digital copies of all winning stories."Irene Adler Prize for Women Writers. Restrictions: Open to Canadian women. Genre: Creative nonfiction. Prize: $1,000 scholarship. Deadline: April 30, 2018.Friends of Falun Gong, Poetry Contest. Genre: Poem Submit one or two poems of no more than 50 lines each. Poems must encompass at least one of the following themes: Advocate for Falun Gong practitioner’s fundamental human rights. Expose the crimes against Falun Gong perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party. Share in the beauty, peacefulness and good nature of Falun Gong. Prizes: $500, $250, $100. Deadline: April 30, 2018.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

There are some great conferences this month. If your manuscript is complete, you can pitch it to agents in New York, Las Vegas and Minneapolis. There are also retreats and workshops for writers who just need to get away for awhile to get the creative juices flowing.

Attending a conference is one of the best things you can do for your writing career. Conferences offer a unique opportunity to network with other writers, meet agents and pitch your book, and learn how the publishing industry works from editors and professionals.

I strongly urge you to plan ahead if you are thinking of attending a writing conference. Many offer scholarships that can significantly reduce the cost. And all of the intensive writing workshops have application deadlines. For a month-by-month list of conferences throughout the year see: Writing Conferences. (You will also find links to resources that can help you find conferences in your area on that page.) If you miss your ideal conference this year, plan for next year.
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Rananim online classes Courses run for eight weeks from April through May. "Participants receive personalized feedback on assignments from their instructor, as well as responses from classmates on discussion board forums. All instructors are university professors and/or working professional writers, who have experience teaching at the Taos Summer Writers’ Conference. Classes are limited to 15 students who will engage in conversation with you and your work. Firm deadlines and feedback help keep you writing and improving your work throughout the class." International students accepted. Cost: $400 per class.

2017 Writing By Writers Manuscript Boot Camp. April 4 - 9, 2018. Tahoe City, CA. The Writing By Writers Manuscript Boot Camp is for the writer who has a full book-length manuscript (novel, memoir or short story collection) and would like to engage with a small group for a serious and productive response. The long weekend will include an intimate full manuscript workshop, craft talks, readings, an agent panel and individual agent meetings – the perfect pre-publication boot camp for any manuscript. Classes are limited to 5 participants.Tuition includes one three-day workshop, admittance to all craft talks, panels and readings, a one-on-one with an agent, all meals (dinner on Friday; three meals Saturday and Sunday; breakfast, and lunch on Sunday) and lodging in a single room for three nights. Vegetarian meals are available upon request. FULL.

Grub Street Muse and the Marketplace Conference. April 6 - May 8, 2018, Boston, Massachusetts. The Muse and the Marketplace is a three-day literary conference designed to give aspiring writers a better understanding about the craft of writing fiction and non-fiction, to prepare them for the changing world of publishing and promotion, and to create opportunities for meaningful networking. On all three days, prominent and nationally-recognized established and emerging authors lead sessions on the craft of writing—the "muse" side of things—while editors, literary agents, publicists and other industry professionals lead sessions on the business side—the "marketplace."

Writing on the Door: Children’s Literature Conference. April 6 - 8, 2018, Fish Creek, Wisconsin. Workshop topics include writing historical fiction for children; writing and illustrating; writing nonfiction, getting published and more. Registration for the conference is $120 before March 16. After March 16, registration is $150.San Antonio Book Festival. April 7, 2018, San Antonio, TX. The San Antonio Book Festival is a FREE, annual, daylong event that unites readers and writers in a celebration of ideas, books, libraries, and literary culture. Featuring more than 80 nationally and regionally acclaimed authors, the Festival offers programming for all ages.

The Cambridge Writers’ Workshop Spring Writing Retreat. April 13- 16, 2018, New Orleans, LA. The retreat offers multi-genre workshops, as well as craft seminars and time to write. The faculty includes award-winning writers & a top NYC literary agent: Rita Banerjee, Diana Norma Szokolyai, and Natalie Kimber. All genres welcome. Genres include playwriting, nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. The cost of the retreat is $1200, which includes tuition, lodging, and some meals. Register by March 20, 2018.

Writing in the Pines. April 14, 2018, Stockton University, Galloway, NJ. Choose from workshops in memoir, poetry and revision. Each workshop will meet for 6 hours and will offer craft discussion, writing prompts, writing time, sharing and inspiration.

Annual PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature. April 16 - 22, 2018 at various locations in New York City. readings, performances, and panel discussions for poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. "Join more than 165 writers and artists representing over 50 nationalities as they gather in New York for the 2018 PEN World Voices Festival: Resist and Reimagine. Ideas will spark your imagination and words will inspire you to act. At this moment of great division, come together for conversations, debates, readings and workshops to take a collective step toward a more just world."

Las Vegas Writer’s Conference sponsored by the Henderson Writers’ Group, Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada. April 19 – 21, 2018. Join writing professionals, agents publishers and marketing experts for a weekend of workshops and enlightening discussions about the publishing industry. A chance to pitch your manuscript and ideas to agents.The Loft's Pitch Conference. April 20 - 21, 2018, Minneapolis MN. The conference will cover two intense days. Friday will feature a kickoff seminar led by award-winning novelist and One Story editor Hannah Tinti, a working lunch to help you prepare for your pitches, a series of pitch and breakout sessions in the afternoon, and an evening event featuring visiting agents and editors responding to anonymous query letters. Registration limited to 162 attendees. Cost: $550.00.Chicago-North RWA's Spring Fling 2018. April 20 - 21, 2018, Oak Brook, IL. Three day Biennial writer's conference geared towards both aspiring and established writers of any genre but focused on romantic fiction. Bookseller/Blogger/Librarian event, Masterclass in Craft and Marketing, Closing Gala.

Poetry at Round Top Festival. April 20 - 22, 2018. Round Top, Texas. The program features workshops, readings, lectures, craft talks, and panel discussions. The faculty includes poets Coleman Barks, Carrie Fountain, Kurt Heinzelman, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Naomi Shihab Nye, Emmy Pérez, Roger Reeves, and Javier Zamora. The cost of the conference is $125 ($60 for students) or $75 for Saturday only. Workshops are an additional $40. Private manuscript consultations are available for an additional $60.Writing By Writers Boulder Generative Workshop. April 20 - April 22, 2018, Boulder, Colorado. Lectures, craft talks, writing exercises and class discussions. Each participant will have the opportunity to work in a small group setting with all three faculty members.

Chanticleer Authors Conference. April 20 - April 22, 2018. Bellingham, Washington. Sessions with a special focus on the business of being a working writer on topics such as marketing, publicity, platform, sales tools & strategies, publishing, production, distribution, organization, storycraft, editing, and more.New York Writers Workshop Fiction Pitch Conference. April 20 – 22, 2018, Ripley-Grier Studios (NY Spaces) 520 Eighth Ave (36th/37th), 16th Fl. Participants polish their pitches with the help of conference leaders who are members of the New York Writers Workshop faculty, then they present them to three different editors from major New York publishing houses. Editors provide feedback and may request proposals and manuscripts after the conference.

North Carolina Writers’ Network Spring Conference. April 21, 2018, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina. Features intensive workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as publisher exhibits, on-site "lunch with an author" readings, and an open mic.

The Spring Writers' Conference. April 21, 2018, Rochester, MI. Lectures, Workshops, and Panel Discussions in fiction, non-fiction, and business concepts of writing. Open to new writers, working journalists, and published authors of all genres. Professional development to move writers to the next level

Mothers Always Write Literary Writers Boot Camp April 2018. Begins April 23 (runs for three weeks). The workshop will provide: 1) An outline of reading materials on the literary essay; 2) Sample teaching essays with annotated comments; 3) An opportunity for brainstorming on your essay topic; 4) A general critique of your piece for content and back and forth discussion sessions with your mentor; 5) Specific line-by-line edits including explanatory comments and suggestions; 6) The opportunity to ask editors questions about writing and the publication process through live FB chats; and 7) The opportunity to have your essay considered for publication by MAW as well as a list of suggested sites for publication. Space is limited to 15 people per workshop. Apply by April 20.

Malice Domestic. Apr 27 - 29, 2018, Bethesda, MD. Malice Domestic™ is an annual fan convention in the metropolitan DC area that celebrates the traditional mystery, books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie. The genre is loosely identified as mysteries which contain no explicit sex, or excessive gore, or violence.

The Pikes Peak Writers Conference, April 27 - 29, 2018. Colorado Springs, Colorado. "The three-day conference is full of topical, in-depth workshops, dynamic keynote speakers, opportunities for one-on-one time with agents and editors, the chance to read your work aloud for constructive critique, plus time to socialize with fellow writers.

Colrain Classic 2018. April 27-April 30, 2018. The Inn at Manchester, Manchester, Vermont. A select group of poets will bring their completed or in-progress manuscripts to the Inn at Manchester, an elegant, family-run inn dating from the late 1800s spread across two buildings on sprawling grounds: the Main Inn and the Carriage House. Here, in this beautiful setting, poets will work closely with conference founder Joan Houlihan, (Lesley University Low-Residency MFA Program), Ellen Dore Watson (Smith College), Stephen Motika (Nightboat Books), and Martha Rhodes (Four Way Books). All poets with an in-progress or complete book-length or chapbook-length manuscript are welcome to apply.

Northeast Texas Writers Organization. Apr 28, 2018, Mt. Pleasant, TX. One-day bootcamp.Western Reserve Writers' Conference. Apr 28, 2018, South Euclid, Ohio. This free one-day writing conference takes place at Cuyahoga County Public Library's William N. Skirball Writers' Center, located in the South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch library. It features a choice of breakout sessions, a keynote address, and private sessions with editors. It occurs annually on the 4th Saturday in April.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Here are two new agents seeking clients. Stacey Kondla is interested in Young Adult and Middle-Grade fiction and nonfiction. Sonali Chanchani is looking for speculative YA, upmarket and literary fiction, contemporary women’s fiction, psychological mysteries and thrillers, family sagas, and historical projects with a touch of magical realism, popular psychology, humor, essay collections, and memoirs that speak to larger societal concerns.

Be sure to check the agency website before querying. Agents can close their lists and submission requirements may change.

If these agents don't suit your needs, you can find a comprehensive list of agents seeking clients HERE.
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Living and breathing the book business for the past 15 years has made Stacey Kondla very happy. Her experience includes working as a Field Representative for Scholastic Book Fairs, managing the IndigoKids department at two different Chapters/Indigo stores, accepting freelance editing contracts, and serving on the organizing committee of When Words Collide (A Festival for Readers and Writers). Stacey has been providing manuscript evaluations for The Rights Factory since October 2017 and is thrilled to be joining The Rights Factory as an Associate Agent.What she wants: Stacey has a keen interest in Young Adult and Middle-Grade novels. She is also interested in non-fiction for both Young Adult and Middle-Grade.

Sonali earned her degree in English and Narrative Studies from the University of Southern California and began her career in publishing with an internship at Kaya, an independent press dedicated to publishing authors from the Asian diaspora. She joined Folio in 2015, where she works closely alongside Claudia Cross and Frank Weimann and is actively building her own list.

She is a fierce advocate for underrepresented voices and keen to work with authors from marginalized communities to amplify their stories and make sure their voices are heard.

What she is looking for: Rich, character-driven stories that combine a strong voice with a compelling hook — narratives that are emotionally resonant, inspire discussion, and provoke us to see the world (and the people who populate it) in new ways.

In fiction: Upmarket and literary fiction, particularly in the realms of contemporary women’s fiction, psychological mysteries and thrillers, family sagas, and historical projects with a touch of magical realism. Bonus points for a witty sense of humor and a smart, incisive perspective.

In nonfiction: Narratives with a social justice bent or that illuminate some aspect of our society or culture. "I especially love working with journalists in this space. I’m also interested in popular psychology, humor, essay collections, and memoirs that speak to larger societal concerns."In Young Adult: Contemporary fiction and fantasy/speculative projects, with a soft spot for myth, fairytale, and folklore retellings.

How to submit: Please send your query letter and the first 10 pages of your project (pasted in the body of your email) to sonali@foliolit.com. Please be sure to include the word QUERY and the title of your project in the subject.

Thursday, March 15, 2018

You may wonder why you should submit to literary journals run by MFA programs. They seldom pay, and they often charge to submit. Normally, either one of those factors would be enough to eliminate them from my list of writing markets. But in spite of those two drawbacks, there are some good reasons to submit to university literary magazines.

MFA department literary magazines are run by young, enthusiastic students and their professors, which means they are more than happy to nominate the stories they accept for Pushcart and other national prizes.

The second reason is that any agent or editor who has graduated from one of these programs in all likelihood has a subscription. (I know of at least one case in which a short story submission to a university literary journal resulted in representation.)

The third reason to consider submitting is that these journals have a "captive audience." Students, professors, and university staff read them, and depending on the size of the university that can be a lot of people.

Without further ado, here are 130 literary journals run by MFA programs.

Creative nonfiction, including narrative reportage, essays, and memoirs, as well as critical essays that examine the emerging genre and that explore the impact of nonfiction narrative on the lives of its writers, subjects, and readers

$100 per published long-form prose piece, $40 for short prose (up to three stories, each under 750 words, can be included per submission), and $20 per published poem (up to 6 can be included per submission)

Short fiction, poetry, memoirs, essays on literature, film, the visual arts, music, and dance, as well as original photographs and reproductions of visual art, and reviews of books, performances, and exhibits